Indigenous Over-representation in Canada's Youth Correctional System: an Assessment of Regional Variability

Although Indigenous youth make up 8% of Canada's population, they are over-represented in the youth correctional system - comprising 46% of admissions in the 2016/17 fiscal year. Th e Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) of 2003 calls for attention to the unique needs of Indigenous youth at all po...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wiley, Stephanie Ann (Author)
Contributors: Emmett, Kelin A. ; Love, Helene
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
In: Canadian journal of criminology and criminal justice
Year: 2020, Volume: 62, Issue: 2, Pages: 22-43
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Keywords:
Canada
Corrections
Criminal act
Indigenious youth
Justice administration
Juvenile delinquents
Over-representation
Truth commissions
Young Offenders
Description
Summary:Although Indigenous youth make up 8% of Canada's population, they are over-represented in the youth correctional system - comprising 46% of admissions in the 2016/17 fiscal year. Th e Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) of 2003 calls for attention to the unique needs of Indigenous youth at all points of justice system contact, yet despite these special considerations and emphasis on fair treatment, overrepresentation has grown steadily in recent years. Examination of the number of correctional admissions for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth, as well as the percentage of Indigenous admissions, across the provinces and territories provides insight into this unexpected trend. By incorporating regional population data, this research uncovers the areas that report the greatest levels of over-representation and those which have successfully reduced the percentage of system-involved Indigenous youth or maintained proportionate representation. This information provides a starting point for future research to uncover the systemic causes of the over-representation problem. Th ese findings also draw attention to issues with recording and reporting practices - a problem that must be addressed in order to act on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's call to reduce criminal justice disparities among Indigenous youth. (English)
ISSN:1911-0219
DOI:10.3138/cjccj.2019-0049